Archive for the “Screenwriting From Iowa” Category
May
22
2019
 
The Only Thing Writers Can’t Fix (According to Neil Gaiman)Posted by: screenwritingfromiowa in Screenwriting From Iowa“The thing that I tell young writers—and by young writers, a young writer can be any age you just have to be starting out—which is anything you can do can be fixed. What you cannot fix is the perfection of a blank page. What you cannot fix is that pristine, unsullied whiteness of a screen […] “Why do farmers farm, given their economic adversities on top of the many frustrations and difficulties normal to farming? And always the answer is: ‘Love. They must do it for love.’” Wendell Berry Bringing it to the Table: On Farming and Food The Biggest Little Farm is an extraordinary film. The documentary directed by John […] “Earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust” From the funeral service in the Book of Common Prayer The memorial service for my mother was held Saturday in the historic chapel part of the Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd in Maitland, Florida. It was led by The Rev. Cameron MacMillian and was a beautiful […]
May
13
2019
Peter Hedges & the Origin Story of a Classic Indie FilmPosted by: screenwritingfromiowa in Screenwriting From IowaPeter Hedges once met an actress on a subway in New York City who eventually told him the story about how some friends went to cook a Thanksgiving dinner but their oven didn’t work so they had to go around the building to get other people to let them cook their meal. Hedges thought, “That […]
May
12
2019
My Mother’s Last Last Mother’s DayPosted by: screenwritingfromiowa in Screenwriting From IowaMy mother was tough. Sue Stautner doesn’t look tough in this photo. But she was tough. She was born in the middle of the Great Depression and a chunk of her youth was taken up with the scarcity of the effects of a world at war. Those raised during the Depression and World War II […]
May
11
2019
One Key Thing Writer/Director Peter Hedges Learned Working on His First FilmPosted by: screenwritingfromiowa in Screenwriting From Iowa“I learned a number of things [working on my first firm]. I remember there is a scene in the film [What’s Eating Gilbert Grape ] that I was so proud of—it was about seven pages too long. [The director Lasse Hallström ] said the scene is about six and three quarters pages too long. I kept […]
May
08
2019
One Key Thing Actor/Director Vincent D’Onofrio Learned from Working with Stanley Kubrick for 13 MonthsPosted by: screenwritingfromiowa in Screenwriting From IowaLong ago I embraced grown the coninsidence that happens occationally on this blog. Yesterday’s post touched on the period in the 1970s and ’80s when there was an influx of Haitian and Cuban refugees to Miami. I even included a photo I took during that era in Hialeah, Florida. Early this morning I happened to […]
May
07
2019
‘The Last Resort’—Photographers Andy Sweet and Gary Monroe on Capturing Retro Miami BeachPosted by: screenwritingfromiowa in Screenwriting From Iowa“In the early ’80s Miami was not the place to be.” Photographer Gary Monroe Last week I watched the documentary The Last Resort on Netflix and I found it fascinating. The focus of the documentary is on photographers Andy Sweet and Gary Monroe as Miami Beach transitions from a Jewish retirement haven, to home for Haitian […]
May
02
2019
Emily Carmichael’s 26-Minute Screenwriting LessonPosted by: screenwritingfromiowa in Screenwriting From IowaNow class, everyone thank Emily and Vanity Fair for making this video. (Virtual applause.) Scott W. Smith “One out of 21 black American males will be murdered in their lifetime. Most will die at the hands of another black male.” Opening graphic in Boyz n the Hood ”Before I could do long division, I mastered which neighborhoods and housing projects to never step foot in. I can easily remember running full speed […] |
